College of Business Administration

GROUP MEMBERS:

Jay Mallory
Eva Ventura
Maria Elena Caracosa

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Our project took a very interesting turn, at first we were going to do a project with YMCA but our project failed and we decided to do the project with a different organization. Our pick was the San Diego Blood Bank. Because of the time we had left, we volunteered on a blood drive that the SDBB was carrying out with NBC and the San Diego Chargers. Most of the blood drives, they were full with volunteers and because of Thanksgiving, we decided to volunteer on Sunday, December 1st at a blood drive that was going to be carried in Santee.

Our main task was to help out the SDBB with walk-in blood donors and with those who had appointments to fill any documents they had to fill and sign and to put those in the order they were going enter the blood mobile. Many of the blood donors were habitual donors who just wanted to do something good for the community, but some were just donating because of the t-shirt of the chargers the SDBB was giving away to blood donors.

We were in the blood drive from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Many people came in that day, specially in the morning. The SDBB runt out of the chargers t-shirts they were giving away as incentives to blood donors, so they told us to inform the donors that were showing up, but they made a deal with donor that they were going to sent them via mail. We actually don’t remember how many blood donors came in that day, but as we recall, that was a very interesting evening.

Blood donors filled up a form that was asking routine questions such as their age, name, cultural background and medical history, this is crucial to the SDBB because not everyone can donate blood because of the risk they have of getting contaminated blood. The SDBB require donors to have good health, not to be under age, to weight at least 110 pounds. Donors should also have been vaccinated against polio, mumps, rubeola, smallpox, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, flu and hepatitis B. blood donors also have other restrictions such as body piercing, ear piercing if not done in a jewelry store or at a doctors office, if they have had dental work and have infection, if they have had hepatitis exposure and if they have a tattoo; in addition, all of those individuals who are at risk for AIDS.

It is quite interesting what they do; it is great that there are people that want to help out others in need. It feels really good to know that we contributed to something good, even if we were not actually blood donors. The blood that the SDBB collected trough out that day, they will keep it refrigerated for only one day and provide it to hospitals that have patients that are in need of blood transfusions. The SDBB needs new blood each day, so they are basically having blood drives almost every day.

As people donate blood, they first have to register, which is what we helped with, and then they are subject to medical screening where their blood are tested for an iron check and are asked in private if its safe for them to donate blood. After blood donors have had their medical screening, they are taken to donate blood and lastly, they stay for another 15 minutes to get some snacks. When blood donors are finished donating, their blood is taken to be tested. That blood test shows what type of blood donors have, it shows if they have antibodies, specially rare ones, it will show if they have Syphilis, hepatitis B and C, if they have ALT or alanine aminotranferase, if they have HIV and if they have HTLV or neurological diseases. If blood shows any of these, blood donors will be notified in private, except if they show up to have Syphilis, Hepatitis B and C, HIV or HTLV, but only to the Department of Public Health. If donor’s blood shows that it could make someone else sick, it will not be used.